The New Prout 45

[danielgoldberg]

Anyone know anything about these boats? We are in the process of researching because we're (pause for big gulp) very likely to convert from a monohull to a catamaran.

Anyway, we've been looking at several brands, including FP, Manta, Leopard, Voyage, Lagoon to a lesser degree (not a big fan, but including them for comparison purposes). There are things about the new Prout that I think we like. I say "think" because though I consider us reasonably experienced sailors, we're novices with multis, and the Prouts haven't been built yet, so it's hard to know how the final product will come out.

Anyway, any help for this wayward sailor would be appreciated, particularly as to opinions or info on the new Prout.

Thanks in advance,

[Mike T]

I thought Prout's went out of buisness several years ago? but if anyone knows different I would love to hear from them.

[Nordic cat]

Welcome aboard!

Prout went under a few years ago, an outfit called Broadblue has "risen out of the ashes", try googling them. My understanding is that some of their boats are now made in Poland and just finished in the UK.

If you are a bit more specific about what you are looking for in a boat, I'm sure help will be available. What use etc....?

Regards

Alan

[Sunspot Baby]

There is a new company building under the Prout name in Asia. There is an earlier post about them. Their web site claims a connection to the older company, but I don't know if it is any greater than acquiring rights to the name.

Check this site for the new 45

George

[danielgoldberg]

There is a new company building them, and I agree that I don't know if the connection is anything more than the name, though they do claim to be connected. The site is proutcats.com. It looks like an interesting boat, and they plan to be at the upcoming shows in force.

NC, here's our profile in terms of how we sail. Primarily we are coastal cruisers. Me, my wife and our two young boys (5 and 3 1/2). We sail mostly on Long Island Sound, with annual treks to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, etc. We take guests also, but more often we meet up with other friends on their boats and we end up rafting together in a variety of local harbors. Oddly enough, we don't really daysail that much, and much more often go away for a night or two at a time. In the summer we spend virtually every weekend on the boat, and about 3 to 4 weeks in total cruising to the places mentioned above. We usually end up with a few overnight passages each year, some years more some less. We also will be sailing to Bermuda every now and again (in fact I'm leaving in less than two weeks on our current boat). Lastly, we have designs on taking a little time and sliding south, doing the east coast and Bahamas thing for a year, but that's a few years out. For a variety of reasons, we're looking to make the move now to the boat we'd be taking on that sojourn. My wife really wants to buy new, but that decision is not yet final. Obviously it would be great to have a new boat, but the price tags are somewhat daunting. If the true cost differential (and I mean true, after doing all upgrades, retrofitting with the gear we want, etc.) is not overly great, we would likely go the new route, particularly if the dealer in question were to take our boat in trade; it would just save the hassle of trying to sell our current boat. We've refit several boats, and it's amazing how much it's like a house, at least for us; you get everything just the way you want it, and then sell it, buy something else, and start all over. It would be nice to be done with that.

Now I'm in the process of comparing and contrasting boats, and trying to get an apples to apples comparison on cost, at least for new boats. That's not as easy as I expected. Obviously the options are somewhat different, but different brands use different equipment, some have larger battery banks, larger gensets, smaller engines, etc. You need to be a CPA to work through the standard, options and price lists to get a fair comparison. I'll tell you, I'm not sure if it's the boat for us, but the way Manta does it with a one-price, fully complete package, is a very nice way to handle the situation.

So, that's us. Any thoughts and/or recommendations would be most welcome.

[Therapy]

Good luck to you.
I have been researching for about two years now.
I don't even have the money for a used one but........
I have narrowed down my dream to a Manta or a Broadblue.
I like the Broadblue best because of the solid deck and the small mainsail.
I like the Manta best because of the "package" (it truly is complete) and the cockpit.

If I had to make a choice it would be quite difficult.

I guess I am lucky..........I won't have to do that.

[TabbyCat]

I will recommend you to follow our route. Start making a list of what is important to YOU. Things like:

How does it sail?
Where does the helmsperson steer from (is it a good place to be in the middle of the night on a cold, wet, rough passage to Bermuda?)
Will it outperform my current boat (is that important to ME?)?
Do I need (or will I need) separate cabins for each of the boys?
Do I effectively singlehand or is my spouse equally interested in the sailing? (Some multis lend themselves to singlehanding)
What stuff do I want to have (SSB, Microwave, icemaker, washer/dryer, large capacity refrig/freezer)?
etc, etc

In additon, there are things you should be able to easily compare or ask a builder/dealer.

LOA
LWL
Beam
Weight
Sail Area
Fuel/Water Capacities
Engine sizes/placement
Bridge Deck Clearance (can't believe I almost forgot to add this!)

I will tell you that the Maine Cat 41 met OUR specific set of requirements and no other boat we considered was even close. But your requirements should drive your decision. I will also tell you that we started with a broker who listened to us and helped us refine our set of requirements. He wasn't part of our final purchase, but he was willing to take the risk since an educated buyer was better for his long-term business than a quick sale.

YMMV,
Mike

[GordMay]

You may be able to learn more about Prouts, and their current status, through the Prout Owners’ Association:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tion-4939.html

[Southern Star]

Dan, the design certainly looks like the last generation of Prouts and should prove to be a capable, if not particularly fast, offshore cruising boat. Obviously there are risks associated with the purchase of any new boat from a new yard, regardless of the location. That being said, mainland China is quite capable of producing a quality product if there is adequate on-site supervision from experienced boat-builders. For example, I have inspected the FT - 10 (Flying Tiger 10) designed by Robert Perry and produced in China and was astonished at the quality of the layup and finish throughout.

Ultimately, I would want to make sure that the hardware/equipment were all internationally known brands (and to specify the same in the contract), I would want to visit the plant and I would want some references from existing purchasers. If all that checks out (and assuming you have no qualms about exporting jobs to China, a country with no environmental/health/safey standards for workers and virtually no recognition of intellectual property rights), then I suspect that a real bargain may be in the offing.

Brad

[vera libertas]

I would certainly second what Brad (Southern Cross) mentioned about watching the quality coming out of China. I'm in the maritime business and just spent 3 months in several shipyards throughout China and would advise being very cautious..

[fastcat435]

It is a pity that the Spread sheet made by Adaero a member of this forum cannot be posted on the site
I think he did a very good job to compare catamarans and I am sure it would be easy enough to ad other cats to the list.
I do not think I have seen a better tool to compare boats or cats so just ask him to send the spread sheet to you.

Greetings

Gideon

[sandy daugherty]

Add a few items to your criteria:
What is the biggest travel lift convenient to your home? Don't buy a boat any wider.
Which engines are best represented by repair facilities in your neighborhood? Importing a mechanic can be expensive.
Stick with the equipment manufacturers you are familiar with. French NKE may make sexy electronics, but....
Don't buy anything with a sail that takes two people to furl.
If you are a monohull sailor, you are already sensitive to water depth issues, so dont be afraid of a cat with dagger boards.
If your new mast is too tall, the intercoastal is not an option in case of prolonged adverse weather.
You are a sailor. Buy something that is FUN, not boring, to sail. Prouts come pre-reefed. (OK, OK, I take it back...)
For the crowd you could have aboard, I have two words: twin dinghies.

[JustStartin]

For what its worth I am awaiting delivery of a new Broadblue and their customer service is second to erm anyones....

[freetime]

Outremer and Freydis is worth looking at.

[Gludy]

"For what its worth I am awaiting delivery of a new Broadblue and their customer service is second to erm anyones...."

Can you expand on that a bit? .... please?